ecimen sent to the Zoological
Society was brought to me in September 1828, when it was about four
months old. It had been caught when not many days old, and was so
tame that it was always kept loose about a well, sporting about the
windlasses, posts, &c., and playing tricks with the people who came
to draw water." This is the one alluded to by Jerdon as having been
described by Mr. Bennett in the 'Gardens and Menageries of the
Zoological Society.' _Martes Gwatkinsi_ of Horsfield's Catalogue
(page 99), is evidently, as Jerdon says, the same as _M. flavigula_,
although the colouring is different, and is supposed to be the same
animal in its summer fur, some specimens being darker than others.
It is just one hundred years since this little animal was first
described, the earliest record of it being in Pennant's 'History of
Quadrupeds' (first edition), published in 1781. It must, however,
have been known before that, for Pennant first observed it in
Brooks's Menagerie in 1774, and named it the "White-cheeked Weasel,"
which Boddart afterwards in 1785 introduced into his 'Elenchus
Animalium' under the name of _Mustela flavigula_ (_Horsfield_).

NO. 178. MARTES ABIETUM.
_The Pine Marten_.

HABITAT.--Ladakh and the Upper Himalayas, Afghanistan (?)

[Illustration: _Martes abietum_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Brown; throat yellow or yellow spotted (_Gray_).
Light yellowish-grey, rather deeper in a line along the back; the
hair brown; extremities blackish; chin, threat and breast white
(according to Horsfield).

SIZE.--About 18 to 20 inches; tail 12 inches.

Horsfield remarks that the specimens received in the Indian Museum
combine the peculiarities of the Pine and Beech Martens respectively,
and lead to the conclusion that both are varieties of one species.
This idea was prevalent some time ago, and the Beech Marten (_M.
foina_) was supposed to be merely a variety of the Pine species, but
there are certain differences in the skulls of the two animals. It
is stated by the editor of my edition of Cuvier that, on examination
of the crania of the two, he found that those of _M. abietum_ are
constantly smaller, with the zygomatic arch fully twice as strong
as in the other. There is also a slight difference in the teeth, the
hinder upper tubercular grinder in _M. foina_ not being quite so
large as in the other.

The Pine Marten has a wide distribution; the finest specimens are
found in Sweden; in England it is becoming scarce, but in